Rotary engine.



PATENTED OCT. 18, 1904. J. A. LONG 62 P. F. DUNN.

' ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION rninn MAE. 9,.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I N0 MODEL,

'7 viral/10101111071104- Q No-772,726.

' PATENTEDOGT'. 18, 1904. J. A. LONG & P. F. DUNN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION 1.1 I'.E 1 u uafa. 1504. 7 N0 MODEL. z SHEETSSHEET z.

Patented October 18, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. LONG AND. PATRICK F. DUNNCOF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming air. of Letters Patent No. 772,72 dated October is, 1904.

' A n ion filed March 9, 1904 Serial No. 197,337. (No model.)

To all whom it natty concern.-

Be it known that JOHN A. Lost. and PATRICK F. Dunmcitizensof the'United States of America, residing at Pittsburg, in the.

county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImfollowing is a specification,,reference being had therein-to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to rotary engines, and has for its object the provision of an engine of novel form and construction adapted to be driven by steam or other fluid,

' provements in Rotary Engines, of which the wherein the principal parts will becastings. and in which the machine-work to be done is of such character that it can be performed quickly and cheaply with the ordinary ma chinery and tools of a machine-shop; and in.

particular our invention has for its object the provision of a novel form of rotary cylinder fixed on arotary shaft and adapted to inclose' and revolve around a hollow drum provided with inlet and outlet passages for the fluid by which the engine is operated p I Our invention has for its further object the' provision of movable wings of novel form adapted to be used in connection with a stationary drum and a rotary cylinder, and our invention has for its further object the'provision of novel means for packing the several joints of the engine.

Our invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating our improvements, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the complete engine. Fig. 2 is avertical transverse sectional view of the rotary cylinder and the stationary drum. Fig. 3" is a detail plan view of the end ofthe stationary drum. Fig. 4c is a side elevation of the packing between the drum and cylinder. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectionalview. of the housing in which the stationary drum is supported. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of one of the packings for the periphery of the drum. Fig. 7 is a plan view of one of the movable wings. Fig.

' 8 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the packing for the sides of the drum shown in Fig. 4, showing the adjustingmeans therefor.

In the several figures of the drawings corresponding numerals of reference designate and interiorly and is formed withoffsets 5 at diametrically opposite points, said offsets 5 having interior recesses 6, the wall of which }is formed on a curve concentric to the shaft 1, the said recess terminating in sockets 7, ln'whlch are seated wings 8, the inner faces of said wings conforming in curvature to the inner surface of the casing 45. The wings 8, whlch are shown 1n detail 1n F1g.7, conslst each of aslngle plece, and shafts 9 pass through holes in the wings and are secured therein by pins 10. The shafts 9 are of such length that they project beyond the heads 2 and 12 of the rotary cylinder, and the outer ends of the shafts 9 carry springs 11 11, which bear against pins 1313, fixed in the heads 2 and 12.

1 1 designates a housing which is located in convenient proximity to the engine, said housing having a removable cap 15, secured in'position by bolts 16, the housing being shown in vertical sectional view, Fig. 5, and in Fig. 1.

17 designates a stationary drum which is preferably composed of a single hollow casting having a circular body portion that is fitted in the housing and embraced by the cap 15 thereof. The drum 17 has formed integral therewith ahead 18, which head in transverse section, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings,

is of substantially oval form. The body of the drum is formed with two cavities 19 20, concentric to the shaft 1 and extending from near one end of the drum to near the other end thereof. The cavity 19 has a port21 and the cavity 20 a port 22, said ports being located at the outer end of the drum and the .port 21 serving for the passage of the incoming steam and the port 22 for the passage of the outgoing steam from the engine, the port 21 being connected by a suitable pipe with a steam-boiler and the port 22 being connected to an exhaust-pipe. Outside the cavities 19 and 20 the head of the drum is hollowed out, as shown at 23 24t, to decrease the weight of the drum, and a pipe 25 leads radially from the cavity 19 to the outside of the drum, while two pipes 26 27 lead radially from the cavity 20 to the outside of the drum, the pipe 25 being the inlet-port of the cylinder, while the pipes 26 27 are the outlet-ports thereof. We preferably employ two outlet-pipes for the purpose of providing an amplepassage-way for the expanded fluid after it has performed its work in the engine. A packing 28 is seated in the recess 29 in the periphery of the drum and is impelled outwardly by spiral springs 30 30. This packing is shown in detail in Fig. 6 and is composed of three sections 31 32 33, the section 32, which constitutes the middle portion of the packing, being tapered in both directions, while the inner sides of the sections 31 33 are correspondingly tapered on their inner edges, so that the outward movement imparted to section 32 by springs 30 30 Will tend to spread apart the sections 31 33 and force them against the heads 2 and 12. A slot 28' is formed in the packing 28, and a pin .28 rests in this slot and serves to assist in guiding the sections 31, 32, and 33 and maintaining them in their proper relative positions. Packings 3a are interposed between the sides of the. drum and the inner faces of the heads 2 and 12, these packings being shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 8 and being socketed in circular grooves 35 in the heads 2 and 12, as shown in Fig. 1. The packings 34: are each composed of three split rings 36 3'7 38, the rings 36 and 38 having both edges tapered and the ring 37 being tapered in similar manner, but in the reverse direction. The ring 37 is attached to set-screws 39, which are provided With jam-nuts 40, the said screws passing through screw-threaded holes in the heads 2 and 12 and serving to force the ring 37 inwardly toward the head of the drum and at the same time spreading apart rings 36 38 and pressing them against the sides of the grooves 35 and against the outer sides of the head of thedrum. The groove 35, it will be observed, is of circular form and is concentric with the shaft 1 and extends out to meet the inner line of the recess 29, in which is located the packing 28, so that a tight joint will be maintained on the sides and the periphery of the drum between the drum and the heads and between the drum and the outer casing. The casing 4 may be formed integral with one of the heads 2 or 12 or as a separate piece and is secured to the heads by bolts 11. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.)

An engine constructed and arranged as above described operates in the following manner: Steam being admitted through the inlet-port 21 passes through the cavity 19 to the pipe 25 and emerges from the end thereof between the periphery of the drum and the outer casing at a point above the packing 28 and between said packing and the wing above the same. The steam is prevented from passing downwardly between the drum and casing by the packin 28 and is prevented from passing inwardly by the packings 3% on each side, and the expansive force of the steam being exerted against the wing 8 will cause the cylinder and the shaft to revolve. The wing on the opposite side of the cylinder as it approaches the packing 28 will be forced back into the recess 6 and will pass the packing 28, and as soon as it has passed the same will be caused to bear inwardly against the drum by the springs 11, the steam which is behind the same finding an exit by way of the pipes 26 27 and the port 22 and exhaustpipe, and thus the cylinder will be caused to rotate so long as the supply of steam is continued.

The engine, it will be noted, is comparatively simple in construction and is devoid of any valves or other parts requiring complex mechanism for their operation, and the construction is such that any of the parts which may become worn may be easily replaced. The adjustable packings at the ends and periphery of the drum assure tight joints at these points and any wear of the packing at the periphery of the drum will be taken up by the outward movement imparted to the packing by the spiral springs 30 30, while the packings on the sides of the head can be adjusted by means of the set-screws 3f) 39.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft, a circular cylinder secured thereto, hinged wings carried by said cylinder, of a drum having an oblate head located within the cylinder, a packing arranged between the periphery of the drum and the inner wall of the cylinder, and a circular packing seated in the heads of the cylinder and adjustable from outside the same and located between the ends of the drum and the heads of the cylinder.

2. In a rotary engine the combination of a shaft, a circular cylinder secured to the shaft and pivoted wings mounted in said cylinder, a drum having a hollow circular body portion surrounding the shaft and extending through one head of the cylinder, a housing in which said body portion is mounted, and a head carried by the body portion of the drum, said head being oblong'in cross-section and having conformable sides and concentric to the cylinder and shaft on one side of a diametrical line intersecting the cylinder and shaft and eccentric to the cylinder and shaft on the other side of said line.

3. In an engine, the combination with a rotary cylinder, of a stationary drum having a hollow head located within said cylinder, longitudinal cavities connected respectively to inlet and exhaust pipes and extending within the head, and pipes leading from said cavities through the hollow portion of thehead to the space between the periphery of the drum and the casing of the cylinder.

4:. In a rotary engine, the combination of a I shaft, a cylinder mounted thereon, and hinged wings mounted in said cylinder, with a drum having a cylindrical body portion and an oblate head arranged eccentrically of the shaft,

annular packings seated in circular grooves in the heads of the cylinder and concentric to the shaft and a packing seated in the said drum 5 radially of the shaft and bearing against the two heads of the cylinder and extending from-- said annular packing to the inner wall of the cylinder-casing.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures 20 in the presence of two witnesses.

' JOHN A. LONG. PATRICK F. DUNN. Witnesses:

H. G. EVER'I, K. H. BUTLER. 

